*John being presented with his certificate by Dr Robbie Goodrum

Dr Robbie Goodrun (an English trained Osteopath, Physiotherapist and sports therapist with qualifications from Palmer West Chiropractic College) and Dr Ken and Dr Robert (both American trained Chiropractors) teach courses for Osteopaths in Dr.Robbie’s Modified Goodrum/Papas Chiropractic Short Lever Techniques that fit in with an Osteopathic practice.

 The course runs for 3×5 days and introduces the Osteopath to his Modified Chiropractic history, philosophy, diagnostic approaches and terminology followed by the most commonly used techniques out of the 112 forms of Modified Goodrum/Papas Chiropractic Diversified, Drop Table and Mechanical/ Adjuster Pro mechanical Instrument techniques.

To an outsider the Goodrum/Papas Diversified Technique looks very similar to Osteopathic techniques, but learning them and doing them is quite different. Instead of using long levers, short levers are used to be more specific and, more importantly to be safer. Using short levers does not strain or cause torsion of the tissues or discs in the area being treated.

As all of us there were experienced Osteopaths from England, Northern Ireland, Spain, Singapore and Australia. We thought that this would be easy, but this couldn’t have been further from the truth and it took quite some time to even begin to get the basics right. The next approach was Goodrum/Papas Drop Table technique.

To most people who have seen a Chiropractor this is the approach they would have seen. A special table that lifts under the area being treated that drops when that area is adjusted. Once again specificity is required, but the lack of stress on the Osteopath more than makes up for the extra analysis of the patient.  We were also shown how Goodrum/Papas Modified Diversified Chiropractic and Thompson or Goodrum/Papas Modified Drop Table could be combined with traditional Osteopathic techniques to make a complete treatment package. 

Lastly we were shown how to use an Activator type instrument called an Adjuster Pro .Adjuster Pro is a small spring loaded instrument, developed from the dental profession, that treats the neuromuscular component of a subluxation (Chiropractic term for Somatic Dysfunction/Osteopathic Lesion) thereby allowing the muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs to ‘reset’ the associated subluxation.

Once again specificity is crucial to using an Adjuster Pro Instrument, but as it can be used effectively on anyone from a newborn baby right up to an osteoporotic old lady with no dangers at all, this is an extremely valuable approach in today’s litigious society.  The chiropractic vision and philosophy is very similar to ours (by the sound of it, BJ Palmer, the son of DD Palmer, the founder of Chiropractic, saw what the Osteopaths were doing and just refined the approaches).

However,Chiropractors are far more specific in their diagnosis and treatment than most Osteopaths, and how they take into account each individual component of a subluxation and looking at how this interacts with the rest of the body made most of the Osteopaths on the course seem like mere amateurs rather than health professionals. Lastly,combined with traditional Osteopathic approaches, these short lever techniques are a mighty tool for treating pretty much anything coming through an Osteopath’s door with more precision, less physical stress on the Osteopath and far safer than before.

On another note, using Chiropractic diagnosis and a Adjuster Pro instrument, my underlying structural fault, caused by a forceps birth and some severe blows to the head, was found and treated easily;whereas,some of the best Osteopaths in the country, using a myriad of a approaches over 30 years, have missed it. I can now say I feel better, straighter and move more comfortably than I have ever done in 44 years. Dr.Robbie Goodrum will be bringing this course over to Britain and to Australia, and I would strongly recommend that this is on your list of CPD courses Choice when he does.